When did you become fearful of health issues when traveling

[Moemg]

When I used to see people in pretty poor condition travel with all kinds of extras I always thought why ? I now realize they need to escape their day to day reality even for a short while .Growing older is hard especially giving up or limiting things you really enjoyed .

 

[athena53]

When I used to see people in pretty poor condition travel with all kinds of extras I always thought why ? I now realize they need to escape their day to day reality even for a short while .Growing older is hard especially giving up or limiting things you really enjoyed .

Or maybe it's a positive attitude. As DH got older he had to be more cautious and there were more limits on what he could do. I liked that he was willing to travel anyway and worked within his limitations. He was fine with my taking an Inside the Volcano expedition in Reykjavik (involved clambering among rocks in the bottom of a dormant volcano after walking 2.5 miles through lava fields and taking a hydraulic lift to descend) and hearing about it after I got back. One of our favorite trips was a kayaking expedition around the city walls of Dubrovnik; due to balance issues and back problems he had to be helped in and out of the kayak and I took the back seat and did most of the paddling. He skipped snorkeling off the coast of Alaska, too! (I didn't.)

Great memories. I know I'll run up against my limitations someday (I already have to be careful of hypothermia when snorkeling in cool water, even with a wet suit and can't stand up on a paddleboard for very long) but hope that's not an end to my travels.

 

[Lsbcal]

Athena you are a real trooper. Somewhat beyond my comfort limits.

No diving, zip lines, bungee jumping, etc. for this guy. Just solid feet on the ground but plenty of walking about on hikes and museum visits and city excursions. We enjoy exploring without tours although might include a few short tours during a trip.

 

[marko]

When I used to see people in pretty poor condition travel with all kinds of extras I always thought why ? I now realize they need to escape their day to day reality even for a short while .Growing older is hard especially giving up or limiting things you really enjoyed .

You should see me taking 90 year old mom and my stroke-hobbled brother through Logan airport Boston down to Fort Lauderdale! They can walk moderate distances but wheelchairs are a necessity at the airport. I'm handing out five dollar bills to attendants like it was candy!!

My brother can't speak and he always seems to be the one TSA chooses to do a detailed search on; then he panics and they won't let me go near him, so I'm shouting over to him to calm down and he's screaming back, motioning for me to come over...great fun.

We fly First Class which does give us additional room and consideration but it sure makes for an interesting morning. But they love spending the winter in Florida, get to go out a lot more (no ice), swim, golf etc.

 

[fh2000]

I had an issue this year while traveling in Europe. I now charge all my travel to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card as they have travel insurance and evacuation included. Jmho

I also charge my Chase Sapphire Reserve card for all travel purchases. I often wonder if that is enough. I have a little paper in my wallet listing their benefits as reminder:

Trip Cancel: up to $10,000
Trip Interrupt: up to $10,000
Lost Luggage: up to $3,000
Trip Delay: up to $500
Bag Delay: up $100, for 5 days
Evacuation: $100,000
Medical: $2,500

I have another home in Asia, so when I travel to Japan, China, for example, I can request evacuation to my home country, much closer to Los Angeles my home in US.

Other than the hassle that Chase might deny some claims, what are the risks without purchasing travel insurance in our case?

 

[NW-Bound]

When I used to see people in pretty poor condition travel with all kinds of extras I always thought why ? I now realize they need to escape their day to day reality even for a short while .Growing older is hard especially giving up or limiting things you really enjoyed .

My mother-in-law in her 90s is just happy to be not in pain and can walk around. My own mother in her 80s does not seem to care to travel much anymore.

I have been thinking that when my health declines, I will be happy just staying home. Maybe I will change, and still want to go on a cruise, just to sit on a wheelchair watching the activities. I dunno.

You guys are scaring me.

It is not as scary as thinking there's a good chance that you could be dying within a year. Oh well, life is short. Time to go.

 

[explanade]

I've started getting travel insurance but it's typically secondary health insurance after your primary coverage.

It's like $50 for a 2-week trip if you don't insure for trip cancellation costs of thousands.

I have a premium credit card with medical evacuation but not sure if that would ever be covered.

I can see if you go to a developing country and if the insurance would get you to a nearest facility in another country.

Would the insurers cover you for being evacuated all the way back to the US or say if you were in Africa, they'd evacuate you to Europe?

I'm going to Thailand soon. I don't know if the insurer would in that case evacuate you out of Thailand. They may determine that Thailand has good enough facilities to treat you.

 

[dixonge]

The only time I'm fearful of health issues is when we travel back to the USA. Living overseas we use that exemption for ACA so when in the States we are uncovered and I fear for an accident potentially bankrupting us. Kinda like Canadians do.

When we lived in Austin for a couple of years and couldn't justify ACA for the wife, we paid the penalty and if anyone asked what her insurance was, I said 'Volaris'. I wasn't actually joking...

We really need to find a better solution.

More specifically to the OP's question, we aren't generally fearful of health issues yet. Even my parents don't seem particularly fearful, in spite of being on 8+ prescriptions each.

 

[travelover]

..............It is not as scary as thinking there's a good chance that you could be dying within a year. Oh well, life is short. Time to go.

Some day I hope you tell us about that - it surely would be informative.

 

[NW-Bound]

No, I was not talking about myself. With my past illness, I should be able to linger for a couple of miserable years, if not cured by modern medicine.

Anyway, grave illness while in foreign lands may not be as scary as when it happens inflight. For example, a condition called urinary retention happens to people who cannot urinate. It causes pain, and even the bladder to burst. And it is not always caused by an enlarged prostate. A condition called cauda equina syndrome can damage the nerves to the bladder, leading to failure to urinate.

I was told of a recent incidence, but just now remember to look it up. A brave doctor managed to save an elderly patient inflight, by sucking out the urine using his mouth and a catheter! I wonder if the doctor got any award.

See: https://nypost.com/2019/11/22/docto...ng-urine-from-mans-bladder-mid-flight-to-nyc/.


PS. Compared to urinary retention, its opposite of incontinence does not look so bad. I still think I would curtail my travel with either condition.